(Based on the American Psychological Association Manual [APA])

Students must ensure that their review essays, research papers, and term papers conform to certain conventions of style and format. The following is a list of some of the basic rules that students must follow when writing papers for courses in the Department of Criminology.

I. Save the earth! Do not use plastic covers for the paper. Save the environment and your money. Make sure that you have a copy of the final version of your paper safely on a diskette!

II. Title page. The paper must have a title page, which includes the student’s name, title of the paper, instructor’s name, course and date of submission.

III. Pagination. The pages of the paper must be numbered, excluding the title page. Begin pagination on the second page of the body of the paper, i.e., the page number should not be printed on page "1".

IV. Paragraphs. Paragraphs must be used appropriately. Students often write two or three pages without any paragraphs. A paragraph is meant to express a completed thought or idea. All sentences within the paragraph must be related to the single unifying idea.

V. Avoid sexism and speciesism! Avoid the use of sexist language, i.e., that which speaks in only one gender (usually male). Avoid sexist pronouns by using plural pronouns (e.g., "they"). If it doesn’t result in too much clutter, you may use "he or she" or "her and his", etc. Be careful not to use "man" or "mankind" when referring to all humans. When distinguishing between "humans" and 'animals", it is best to refer to the latter as "animals other than humans."

VI. Print size. Use font size 12 in the text of the paper and a larger font for headings/subheadings.

VII. Avoid plagiarism! The Department of Criminology takes this form of academic dishonesty very seriously. Plagiarism refers to the practice of presenting the words and actions of others - whether written or voiced by established authors or by your peers - as if they were your own. Plagiarism occurs when you have quoted or summarized an argument without attributing its content to the appropriate source. You must acknowledge the source, either through an appropriately structured quotation or by paraphrasing and citing the material.

While we encourage students to work cooperatively on most projects, we nonetheless expect independent work in the final presentation of papers. Excessive parallels in content, organization or wording of student papers will result in a failing grade ("F") for all students involved.

VIII. Quotes. Quotes which are longer than three typed lines must be indented and single spaced (indent 5 spaces on both the left and right margins). Indented quotes do not need quotation marks.

If the quote is less than three typed lines, incorporate it into the body of the paper and use quotation marks. All quotations must be properly cited to indicate that these are not your words. Always attempt to paraphrase first; use quotes sparingly.

This is an example of a short quote that is not indented:

As one author argues, "Social and economic inequality are intrinsically related to crime" (Peterson, 2001, p.24).

This is an example of an indented blocked quote:

Since there are always "pressing" problems, tomorrow never

seems to arrive, and questions concerning policies that pro-

mote social justice have successfully been put off indefinitely.

Further, what escapes the mainstream perspective is the conn-

ection between economic justice and crime; that is, crime cannot

be addressed in a meaningful manner without first addressing the

ways in which our economic and social system is unjust and the

ways in which those injustices produce criminality (Lynch &

Stretesky, 1999, p.15).

The acceptable way to cite sources in the body of the text is through the author-date system. For direct quotes, the page number is also included (Hacker, 1999).

1. Format for a Quotation: With the author-date citation system, you acknowledge the source in the body of your paper by indicating the author, date and page in parentheses. If you name the author explicitly in the text of the document, then you must follow the name with the date of publication. Place the page number at the end of the quote.

Example: As Smith (1984) states, "The death penalty does not deter murder" (p. 22).

If you do not name the author explicitly in the text, then the author’s name, date and the page number appear at the end of the quote (Davis, 2000, p.193).

One author: (Davis, 2000, p.193).

Two authors: (Davis & Jones, 2001, p.198).

Three or more authors: (Davis et al., 1987, p.98).

2. Format for a Paraphrase: Place the author’s name and the date of the publication at the end of the paraphrase (Hacker, 1999).

Example: Some authors believe that crime is intrinsically related to structural inequality (Peterson, 2001).

If you name the author explicitly in the text of the document, then you must follow the name with the date of publication.

Example: Peterson (2001) assumes that crime is related to inequality.

IX. Sources/references. You must include a complete alphabetical listing of all sources used in the paper. This list should appear at the end of your paper and should be titled "References" (Hacker, 1999).

X. References

A. Books. Book titles are always italicized, not placed in quotation marks. This rule must also be followed when a book is mentioned in the body of a paper. After the first line, indent all subsequent lines by five spaces, as in the following example.

Chambliss, W. J. (1988). On the take: From petty crooks to presidents. Bloomington, In.: Indiana University Press.

B. Journal articles. You must include the volume and issue number of the journal in your citation. In the example below "36(3)" is the appropriate notation. You must also include the year of publication and page numbers. The name and volume number of the journal are italicized.

Calavita, K., & Pontell, H. (1990). 'Heads I win, tails you lose’: Deregulation, crime and crisis in the savings and loan industry. Crime and Delinquency, 36(3), 309-41.

C. To list an article or chapter from an edited text.

Gurman, A.S., & Knisern, D.P. (2002). Crime and inequality. In S. Holtz (Ed.), Structural inequality (pp. 742-775). New York: Bonner Press.

D. To list a newspaper article when no author is named.

Haney, D.Q. (1998, February 20). Finding eats at mystery of human apppetite. The Oregonian, pp. A1, A17.

E. Personal communications.

Dr. I.P. Freely. Interview by author. Fresno, Ca., April 1, 1999.

F. Federal court decisions.

Davis v. Monsanto Co., 627 F. Supp. 418 (S.D. W.VA 1986).

G. State court decisions.

Lessard v. Schmidt, 349 F. Supp. 1078 (E.D. WIS. 1972).

H. Federal or state law.

Statute Mental Health Act 42 U.S.C. 9401 (1988).

I. Internet sources.

Cain, A., & Burris, M. (1999, April). Mayan ruins. Retrieved January 15, 2000, from http://telsa.csuhayward.edu/sacredplaces/yaxuna/yaxframes.html

J. Government document.

U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1996). Statistical abstract of the United States (116th ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government

Printing Office.

K. Having problems? If you have a query that is not covered in this Style guide, then you should consult the original APA or Hacker, D. (1999). A writer’s reference. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins.

Revised: February, 2002 [SW/PB] (Hacker, 1999, pp.362-385).